Numerical Issues in Bone Cell Population Models
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This work aims to investigate strategies for the calibration of model parameters and to develop a systematic calibration protocol that facilitates the comparison of different bone cell population models. In addition, the influence of numerical aspects on the behaviour of the cell population model is examined. Bone remodelling is a biomechanical process governed by the coupled activity of bone cells in response to biochemical and mechanical stimuli to continuously renew bone tissue. This process is commonly described using bone cell population models, which capture the temporal evolution of different cell populations. A prominent example is the mechanobiological framework developed by Scheiner et al. [1], which links cellular activity to mechanical and biochemical regulation. Such models depend on various regulatory inputs and involve parameters that are typically calibrated based on experimental data, often obtained from biopsies. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the mathematical properties of bone cell population models. In particular, studies such as Trachoo et al. [2] have investigated the dynamic behaviour and stability characteristics of these models, highlighting the importance of a sound mathematical formulation for reliable simulations. Despite these advances, systematic strategies for parameter calibration remain limited, and differences in calibration approaches hinder the direct comparison of different modelling frameworks. Motivated by recent computational studies emphasising the importance of numerical robustness and efficiency in biomechanical simulations, such as Papastavrou et al. [3], different time integration schemes are applied and compared within a bone cell population model. The results are expected to provide insights into the robustness, efficiency, and comparability of computational bone remodelling models.
